How to pleat and steam shu mai (steamed pork dumplings)

recipes, cooking tips & food trips

September 4, 2010 by Connie · 3 Comments

The steamed pork dumpling that we call siomai in the Philippines comes from a traditional Chinese dimsum dish. It is ground pork wrapped in dough, steamed and served with a dipping sauce. In the English-speaking world, the spelling varies — shumai, shaomai, shui mai, shu mai, sui mai, shui mei, siu mai, shao mai, or siew mai — although they all refer to the same thing.
The mixture for the filling varies as well. Some include pork and black mushrooms while others include finely chopped cabbage. In the Philippines, we use a mixture of ground pork and shrimps along with finely chopped vegetables.
Question: What’s the difference between siomai and wonton? Answer: Wonton is wrapped in wonton skins and dropped into hot broth. Siomai is served straight from the steamer — in fact, often, in the steamer basket itself.
The confusion lies in the fact that, in the Philippines, siomai is often wrapped is wonton skins too but served as a steamed dish rather than as a soup. I used to until lately. If you go to authentic Chinese restaurants, however, siomai is wrapped in such a way that the top of the filling is exposed. A round, often thicker, wrapper — sold as “dumpling wrapper” in supermarkets — is used to enfold the filling. (more…)